Judy Irola, ASC

Professor
Head, Cinematography Track

213.740.3340
jirola@cinema.usc.edu
LUC 408
www.cinemanifest.com

Judy Irola teaches cinematography in the Division of Film & Television Production and has been the Head of the Cinematography Track since 1999. She has 26 instructors under her direction and supervises the cinematography curriculum. She has freelanced as a cinematographer for over 30 years, having shot 15 independent features and countless documentaries around the world in locations such as Brazil, Jamaica, Cuba, France, Poland, Mozambique, Kenya, the Soviet Union, Mexico, Grenada, Italy, England, and throughout the U.S.

Her feature films include Northern Lights (1978 winner Camera d'Or, Cannes Film Festival), Working Girls (1986), The Dead End Kids (1987), An Ambush of Ghosts (1993 winner Sundance Film Festival Dramatic Cinematography Award), Eat Your Heart Out  (1997), The Settlement (1999), Eban and Charley (2000) and The Gold Cup (2001). She was the D.P. for the NBC series Lifestories (1990), shot numerous Movies of the Week for ABC, CBS and NBC, and shot eight short films for Saturday Night Live (1979-81), among them Schiller's Reel and La Dolce Gilda.

In 1995 Irola was invited into the prestigious American Cinematographers Association (ASC), and was awarded Kodak's VISION Award in 1997. In 2004 Judy turned to directing/producing. Her documentary Cine Manifest premiered at the Mill Valley Film Festival (2006) and was a finalist in the Denver International Film Festival (2006). The film continues to show in numerous film festivals.